How Marble got her wings

The rest of the ponies started to trickle into the meeting room for the book club. Cassie and some other ponies came in. There were five of them in total in the room, including Marble. Zebrican and Cassie were there, but the other pony with the accent also arrived. Marble had learned his name was CJ—at least, that’s what the others called him. Another pony, a pegasus named Arm Chair, also joined the group.

“Welcome to the first meeting of the Revolutionary Book Club of Rockville,” Cassie said. She was the conversation leader of the book club, and judging by the few empty chairs, she probably expected a couple more ponies to show up. Nevertheless, she continued. She held up her copy of The Socialist Manifesto. “Tonight, we’ll be discussing Chapter 1, On Cutie Marks and the Bourgeoisie,” she said.

Marble was very attentive, of course, but judging by the fact that the other ponies wore mostly casual clothes—or no clothes at all—she had indeed overdressed. She tried not to focus on her own embarrassment by concentrating on the book club conversation.

“Oh yea, that’s the part where Marx said Cutie Marks were basically useless, yeah?” CJ said. Marble doubted a little that CJ had actually read the book, considering he had beelined to the rock candies on the snack table the moment he entered the room. Nevertheless, he seemed to at least know the basics.

“That’s one way to interpret it,” Zebrican said. The chairs were all set up in a circle so they could all see one another. “The way I thought about it was more that in a socialist society, ponies would be more compelled to find labor that fits their abilities and the needs of the state, rather than just strictly what their Cutie Mark compels them to do.”

“Not only that, but certain jobs will be needed more than others during the revolution. Ponies must be willing to accept work that may not align with their Cutie Marks in order to bring about true equality,” Arm Chair added, wagging his hoof at no one in particular, eyes closed.

Marble frowned a little. This didn’t sound particularly appealing. As much as she didn’t like her own Cutie Mark, she had seen plenty of ponies who were happy with theirs and had fulfilling jobs. Still, she kept her thoughts quiet for now.

“That’s not the only problem with Cutie Marks,” Cassie spoke up. She had the same authority as her father, but with youthfulness added on. “We’ve all clearly seen a common pattern of Cutie Marks in the bourgeois pony: the money bags, the crowns, the diamond rings. Are we to believe that their life’s purpose or their talent is to hoard all the excess capital and leave us nothing but the rock crumbs? I say, to Tartarus with that!”

The other ponies in the room murmured in agreement and nodded. Cutie Marks were really weird, Marble pondered. All her family had rock-related Cutie Marks—aside from Pinkie Pie—so there was probably some hereditary aspect to them.

They went discussing the rest of the chapter, and Marble began to sweat once she realized something, she was the only one who hadn't spoken up yet. Were they going to think she wasn’t interested in the book club and kick her out? She started to panic. She needed to say something quickly—anything. She waited for a lull in the conversation and finally spoke up.

“So… when are we starting the revolution?” Marble blurted out, looking at the others to see how they would react.

The others stared at her in silence. Had she messed up? This is why I don’t speak, Marble thought.

The silence was broken by wild cackling coming from CJ. Well, that was that for her new friends. Marble felt tears well up and was seconds away from bolting out of the room.

“No, no, she’s got the spirit!” Cassie said quickly. Sensing Marble’s trembling, she got off her seat and patted Marble gently on the back.

Did this mean she wasn’t being kicked out of the club? Marble looked toward Cassie, and Cassie gave her a reassuring smile.

CJ finally stopped cackling and began breathing again. “Oh, don’t mind me. I just didn’t know you were a mare of action like that. You’ve certainly got more spirit than some of the ponies here.” He glanced at Arm Chair, who nervously looked the other way.

“It’s too soon,” Zebrican said, shaking his head.

“Well, it might not be as soon as you think,” Cassie rebutted. “Rockfeller and the rest of those capitalists have begun buying up tons of land here in Rockville, looking for oil. Let me tell you, the Nail Farm was only a small victory. Once the capitalists gain enough power, there’ll be nothing stopping them from abusing the workers.”

“But wouldn’t Celestia stop something like that from happening? Or the Elements of Harmony?” Marble asked. She hadn’t meant to disagree—she didn’t want to upset anyone—but she couldn’t imagine her sister Pinkie letting something like that happen. The Elements had stopped Tirek, after all.

“I’m sure that’s what the ponies in Severyana thought as well,” Cassie said, letting the silence hang for a moment. “All it takes is a real crisis, and the current system would collapse. We must be ready for that.”

Marble was processing everything that Cassie was putting up. It was all very new to Marble still, but in her mind it did make some sense, she did live through a recession once and was lucky to make it out alright. A lot of the relief funds that were supposed to make it to the farmers in need were skimmed by the politicians in charge of distributing them.

“Well, Steel Stallion, let’s hope we steer clear of any real crises for now,” Zebrican said, laughing a little to cut the tension. “We won’t be taking part in any revolutions anytime soon, but we can at least make sure things are right for the workers in our little corner of Equestria.”

“And it takes ponies like Comrade Marble here to take the first steps,” CJ added, getting off his chair and standing next to Marble to pat her on the back.

Marble felt tears welling up again, but this time they were different—these were happy tears. By herself, Marble was nothing. The word “unimportant” would be too generous. She was worthless. But these ponies, these comrades, believed in her. They believed she was part of something greater.

“I—” Marble tried to speak, but she choked up, the tears coming faster. “I want to help you guys.”

“We’ll find a way you can help us out, Comrade Marble,” Cassie said. “Welcome to the union.”

Even though the book club had officially ended, the ponies lingered in the meeting room to socialize and enjoy the snacks on the table. CJ and Arm Chair were engaged in a competitive game of pool, while Marble, Cassie, and Zebrican stood by the snack table, sharing stories.

“So, you’re telling me you and your sister had to fight off a pack of diamond dogs trying to take over your farm?” Cassie asked, laughing as she grabbed a hoofful of rock chips from the table.

Marble nodded, smiling shyly. “It wasn’t easy, but we managed to chase them off.”

“Wow,” Cassie said, clearly impressed. “You’re tougher than you look, Marble.”

Having friends was so fun, Marble thought. Why had it taken her this long to find some? She couldn’t help but wonder how Pinkie would react to all this—especially to the fact that she had joined a party.

A loud exclamation interrupted her thoughts.

“Darn it!” CJ shouted, throwing his pool stick onto the floor in frustration. “How did you beat me again?!”

Arm Chair stood tall, grinning smugly as he leaned on his cue stick. “Skill, my friend. Pure skill.”

“That’s it. I’m not playing anymore,” CJ grumbled, stomping over to the snack table to grab some rock candies.

Arm Chair chuckled and turned to the room. “Who’s next? Anyone brave enough to take me on?”

“Ugh, someone needs to teach him a lesson,” Cassie said, narrowing her eyes as she glanced at Zebrican.

“Don’t look at me,” Zebrican said, raising his hooves defensively. “I’m terrible at pool.”

“How about you, Marble?” Cassie asked, turning her attention to her.

“Well, uh… I guess I could try,” Marble said hesitantly. She walked up to the pool table and picked up the stick CJ had thrown.

“Good luck,” Arm Chair said smugly as he began setting up the balls on the table. “You can take the first shot.”

Marble took a deep breath and stepped up to the table, gripping the pool cue tightly. She stared at the arrangement of balls, imagining the perfect angle she needed for the shot. Marble felt an old part of her head that hadn't been used in a while be activated, her analytical mind kicked in and she visualized the right amount of force.

This isn’t so different from playing marbles, she thought.

She aimed carefully, drew back the cue, and struck.

Clack!

The white ball hit the triangle with precision, sending the colored balls scattering. Every single one rolled into a pocket, clinking as they disappeared.

For a moment, the room was completely silent.

Then CJ’s voice broke the quiet. “Holy… That was incredible!” He rushed back to the table, examining the now-empty surface with wide eyes.

Arm Chair stood frozen, his jaw hanging open. He blinked, then muttered, “No way… That was… You cleared the table in one shot!”

“That was nothing…” Marble said, blushing furiously. She stared at the floor, her ears twitching nervously. She didn’t think it was that impressive.

“Nothing?” Cassie exclaimed, laughing. “Marble, you’ve got a good eye on you! That was amazing.”

“Seriously,” CJ added, still in awe. “I’m never playing against you, ever. You’re a pool shark in disguise!”

“We can make Marble the union’s designated pool shark,” Zebrican added, laughing along with the rest.

“Yeah…” Cassie rested her left hoof on her jaw, looking thoughtful. “Say, Marble, do you have any interest in flying?”

Marble blinked in surprise. “Flying…?”

“Well, recently we got this rock-dusting plane, and we’re looking for a pilot to fly it.”

“But… I don’t know how to fly a plane,” Marble replied.

“Well, neither can the pony who thought it was a good idea to get the plane in the first place.” Cassie shot a glance at Arm Chair, who looked a little flustered.

“A plane would improve our rock yields!” Arm Chair said defensively.

“And you didn’t think about getting a pilot to fly that piece of junk first?” Cassie shook her head. “Anyway, I’d have to convince Pops to hire a flying instructor, but I should be able to manage that.”

“Why me, though? I’m not even a pegasus.” Marble had only ever seen pegasi flying planes before—the most notable example being the Wonderbolts.

“Pfft, you don’t need to be a pegasus to fly planes. Those things fly by themselves, and you’ve got a good eye, it seems,” Cassie said with a reassuring smile. “Besides, I think all of us would rather see one of our own rock ponies flying up there than some random pilot we don’t know.”

“Maybe I could look into it,” Marble said noncommittally, though she couldn’t deny the appeal of the idea.

Cassie grinned. “I’ll get you the details later. I think you’d be perfect for it.”

As the conversation moved on, Marble couldn’t help but smile. She felt a growing sense of belonging. For the first time, she wasn’t just Marble Pie—she was part of something bigger, something meaningful.